The Canadian Coast Guard Completes 2025 Arctic Operational Summer Season
News release
December, 9, 2025 – Yellowknife, NT – National Defence / Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard successfully completed its 2025 Arctic operational season, providing essential services to Canada’s Arctic communities and working with Inuit, First Nation, and Métis partners to deliver services and programs in the North, by the North, for the North.
In total, seven Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers were deployed from June into November to enable the annual northern community resupply, search and rescue operations, response to marine pollution, Canadian Arctic security, and other operational and program commitments.The Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Pierre Radisson was the first vessel deployed for the season on June 11, 2025, and the CCGS Jean Goodwill was the last vessel to return from the Arctic on November 26, 2025.
Canada’s maritime domain awareness in the Arctic is critical to enable effective response to incidents that may impact Canada’s security, safety, environment, and economy. Working closely with international, federal, territorial, and Indigenous partners, the Canadian Coast Guard continues to strengthen safety and security in Arctic waters. The Canadian Coast Guard took part in both Operation NANOOK-NUNAKPUT and NANOOK-TUUGAALIK, which are yearly maritime exercises led by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to enhance surveillance and collective responsiveness in the Arctic. As Arctic and Northwest Passage traffic increase due to tourism, commercial shipping, and adventuring opportunities, the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) also acts as an integral part of enhancing remote response and community capacity, providing search and rescue support, responding to numerous incidents, and strengthening community-based emergency response capacity across the Arctic. These exercises and partnerships play an important role in keeping northern waters safe while reinforcing Canada’s long-standing sovereignty in the North.
On Great Slave Lake and the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories, the Canadian Coast Guard’s two specialized buoy tenders, the CCGS Dumit and CCGS Eckaloo, conducted seasonal buoy tending to help connect remote communities and support economic activity across the western Arctic. This work helps maintain safe navigation and supports a vital transportation corridor for northern communities.
The Canadian Coast Guard’s on-water Arctic operations will resume in May 2026, but a full-time presence is maintained year-round with Arctic Region headquarters in Yellowknife, NT, and additional facilities in Hay River, NT, and Iqaluit, NU. Across Canada’s Arctic, marine pollution can be reported to the Marine Communications and Traffic Services (MCTS) at 1-867-979-5269, and marine emergencies can be reported to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Trenton 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, toll-free at 1-800-267-7270 or 1-613-965-3870.
Quick facts
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As of November 24, 2025, the Canadian Coast Guard’s Arctic Operations logged:
- 40 commercial escorts; and
- 10 helicopter-based ice reconnaissance missions.
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MCTS in Iqaluit, NU, will close on December 15, 2025, and reopen in May 2026. MCTS in Les Escoumins, QC, will manage Northern Canada Vessel Traffic Services Zone Regulations until the Iqaluit Centre reopens.
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The Canadian Coast Guard is the lead agency for addressing ship-sourced marine pollution incidents and manages 52 environmental response equipment caches and depot sites across the Arctic. As of November 20, 2025, the Canadian Coast Guard reviewed 126 incidents, including 19 cases requiring enhanced monitoring or intervention, and identified approximately 38 problem vessels to be further assessed for risk across the Arctic.
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Maritime search and rescue services on federally controlled waterways are the responsibility of the Canadian Coast Guard. This includes assisting people, vessels, and aircraft that are in imminent danger. As of November 20, 2025, JRCC and Maritime Rescue Sub Centres coordinated responses to 294 incidents, including 147 maritime cases across the Arctic Region. Units from the CCGA were also tasked to respond 94 times.
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In collaboration with the CAF and the Hamlet of Pond Inlet, the Canadian Coast Guard led Vignette ARCTIC GHOST, an exercise to improve multi-agency response, with participation from the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Forces Military Police Group.
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The Arctic Marine Response Station in Rankin Inlet, NU, was open from June 25 to November 9, 2025. The all-Indigenous team performed six training exercises, responded to seven search and rescue incidents, and patrolled over 2,000 nautical miles around the areas of Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet, and Whale Cove, NU.
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Under the Indigenous Community Boat Volunteer Program, new community response vessels arrived in Kangiqsualujjuaq, QC, and Coral Harbour, NU, strengthening community-based response capacity for the local CCGA units for years to come, and reflecting the ongoing commitment to supporting local response initiatives across the North.
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Contacts
Maya Ouferhat
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of National Defence
Email: maya.ouferhat@forces.gc.ca
Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-904-3333
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca
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